A different route that may prove a new road to success
YOUNGSTER HELPING OPTIMISM AT TOON
NEWCASTLE United may be miles behind most of their Premier League rivals when it comes to second-string football at the moment with the Magpies currently slumped in second-bottom place of the bottom division at Under-23 level.
But despite inconsistent results this season there is cause for optimism in the last few weeks with the second string still fighting on three fronts in the cups and the emergence of 6ft 3in midfielder Mo Sangare.
Sangare netted in this week’s 3-0 win over Colchester United in the Premier League Cup and after a successful trial in 2016, he has made some huge strides from the club’s youth ranks to the club’s reserve side.
The Liberian-born player arrived in England as a 14-year-old and after being spotted playing for Reddish North End Football Club in Stockport, the box-to-box midfielder is now hoping to continue his success.
Newcastle Under-23 coach Ben Dawson is delighted with the player’s progress, but feels he still has plenty of work ahead of him.
Dawson told the Chronicle: “I think more recently Mo Sangare has started to step up to another level. He still has a lot of work to do in terms of game understanding.
“He’s come from seven-a-side football but we think he’s got some good attributes and has worked well with Luke Charman.”
Sangare’s style of play was well summed up against Colchester as he swept through the middle of the pitch before holding off a couple of defenders and then tucking the ball past the goalkeeper.
Dawson added: “We’re still not sure exactly which position he will play. He has played as an 8 and a
I think Mo Sangare has started to step up to another level. He still has work to do in terms of game understanding
little bit as a 4. We’ve asked him to take a bit of responsibility in terms of doing an extra five minutes before training each day on the bounce boards to work on his touch.
“He is so powerful that he often isn’t set. It looks at times like he’s sloppy but he’s got that much power. “If we can get a little bit more quality out of him and a little bit more game understanding, we will see where that takes him.”
Sangare’s lack of experience is understandable at just 19, but the fact that his introduction to the game was those seven-a-side games in Stockport as recently as just 2016, means that this footballing tale is far from the usual route of a Newcastle reserve player.
If it turns out that Sangare was picked up in the same catchment area as Man United and Man City, this could be an even bigger story.
When asked about his seven-aside background, Dawson said: “It wasn’t long ago. We picked him up from the Manchester area through Steve Nickson and the recruitment department.
“You can see that in training, but the staff are working hard and so is he.
“If he continues to put that effort and work-rate in then he’s giving himself a good chance.”